Undated (1659) Lord Baltimore Shilling. Hodder 1-A, W-1080. Rarity-6.

Superb Maryland Lord Baltimore Shilling Norweb to Craige via Richard Picker Undated (1659) Lord Baltimore Shilling. Hodder 1-A, W-1080. Rarity-6. Large Bust, MARIÆ. EF-45 (PCGS). 77.16 grains. As beautiful an example as has been offered in recent memory, clearly an About Uncirculated coin if there ever was one. Strong frosty luster persists on both sides, a bit reflective and particularly rich on the reverse. The toning is old and lovely, with pale blue fields fading into gold at the obverse periphery, while the reverse shows bold concentric rings of gold and blue that stand as the most attractive toning your cataloger has ever seen on a Lord Baltimore shilling. The fields show light scattered marks and old hairlines, but the only notable issue is a long toned scratch down the cheek and neck of Calvert, extending into the field below the &. The strike is superb, including hair detail rarely seen even on higher grade pieces. The grade, as assigned, seems to be a net grade for the scratch, or ignorant of the typical strike for this issue: where wear is present it may stand out, but only because those areas (central hair, for instance) are rarely struck up enough to be worn. A coin with this much flash, luster, and pizzazz is difficult to assess as only an EF. Ted Craige once described this piece as "Choice Gem!," and indeed its eye appeal far surpasses nearly every other Lord Baltimore shilling in existence. Interestingly, this variety was not present in the Norweb Collection sales, though another Rarity-8 Lord Baltimore shilling was present. Perhaps Mrs. Norweb decided having two Baltimore shillings was a bit much and traded this one away. She made similar choices with her Lord Baltimore groats (she owned the unique Small Head but not the common variety). Looking at the Norweb material, the Lord Baltimore sixpence in Norweb III:3401 has very similar toning. Its provenance is Parmelee:294 to Harlan Page Smith to the magnificent Robert C. W. Brock collection at the University of Pennsylvania. Could this piece have followed the same path on its way to receiving such lovely toning? Whatever its longer history, this is a special example of the largest of the Baltimore issues, surely bound for a great cabinet. The terms of Calvert's grant called for him to be guaranteed all rights enjoyed by the Bishop of Durham, who had issued coins in his own name during the Middle Ages. Thus, Calvert had shillings, sixpences, groats (fourpence), and copper pennies (or denariums) coined bearing his bust and Arms, and passed local ordinances in Maryland calling for their mandatory circulation. He ran afoul of British authorities, who frowned on him exporting silver from the mother country no matter what the terms of his claim may have been. Despite his legal troubles, coins of every denomination reached Maryland and began circulating there in the early 1660s. Today, most survivors of this denomination are in poor condition, often holed and plugged after use in jewelry, badly polished, well-worn, or a combination of the above. While sixpence often survive in decent grade, thanks in part to a hoard of about 20 pieces located in England two decades ago, the shillings rarely fared so well. While a few high grade pieces exist, more than one of them shows what may be charitably called negative eye appeal. This superior PCGS EF-45 is a noteworthy exception, ranking among the nicest-looking examples from the Hodder 1-A dies that we have ever had the privilege of bringing to auction. Provenance: From the Emerald Coast Collection. Earlier ex Norweb Collection; Richard Picker; Ted L. Craige; our sale of the Ted L. Craige Collection, March 2013 Baltimore Auction, lot 4. PCGS# 34. NGC ID: 2U3L. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Image with the PCGS TrueView logo is obtained from and is subject to a license agreement with Collectors Universe, Inc. and its divisions PCGS and PSA.

Estimation:€0.89

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